After deciding to part ways with AVL (automated vehicle location) system provider Geo-Comm at the end of last month, Callaway County Ambulance District Director Charlie Anderson says county officials have decided to give the company one more chance.
After nearly a year of trying to solve compatibility problems between Geo-Comm's AVL software and ambulance and sheriff's equipment with no real success, the ambulance district, Callaway County Sheriff's Office and the Callaway County Commission all agreed it was time to try moving on in a different direction.
Anderson explained during Tuesday night's ambulance board meeting that Geo-Comm has since proposed to proceed with a test of its independent modem solution. If the test is successful, Geo-Comm has agreed to equip the district's ambulances and the sheriff's squad vehicles with a modem at its expense, as well as providing air cards and data plans using T-Mobile for one year. After the year, the Callaway service agencies would be responsible for the yearly data plan - which Anderson said would be $840 for the ambulance district.
"The sheriff (Dennis Crane) and I talked about this quite a bit," Anderson told the board Tuesday night. "We both felt we ought to at least try. ... If we can get it to work, that would be better than starting from scratch."
He said if the test of the modems is not successful, Geo-Comm will allow the Callaway agencies to break the AVL part of their contract with the company, as well as refund at least some of the money spent on the system.